


Between the Essence and the Descent

by paradisebanned



Category: The Fall (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-05
Updated: 2014-09-09
Packaged: 2018-01-14 16:12:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 6,189
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1272832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paradisebanned/pseuds/paradisebanned
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The hunt for the killer continues for Stella and Dani, but who will fall first?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“Get down, ma’am!” Dani yelled as she flew herself on top of her boss and, at times, unlikely mentor.

The bullets came, fast and furious, through the open window of the dilapidated flat and ricocheted off the walls. Then they stopped, as abruptly as they had begun.

Dani cautiously propped herself up and looked around. All clear. “Are you all right, ma’am?”

“Fine,” Stella’s tone was cool as usual. She straightened her hair and blouse and gave Dani the slightest of a grin.

Was that an acknowledgement of some sort? Dani allowed herself to think so.

They had come to the shack from a tip the incident room received, and it seemed like they were on to something. Whoever that man was, he had enough reasons to empty all those bullets from his gun.

“He can’t have gone far. Let’s split up. You take the alley back there and cut through to the main road. I’ll wrap around from the other end. And call for back-up.”

Dani sprang into action. Stella commanded respect—there was no doubt about that. She was small in stature, but anyone who mistook that for vulnerability would be in for a rude awakening. She alone could probably move mountains.


	2. Chapter 2

The alley was getting dark now as twilight began to blanket Belfast. Dani moved quickly, weapon drawn and senses on high alert. She was fueled by the adrenaline of having been on the receiving end of all that gunfire and the possibility of finally catching the bastard. And—she would be lying if the thought hadn’t cross her mind—of what kind of “acknowledgement” Stella would throw her way if she really did catch him.

Out of the corner of her eye, Dani caught sight of an intersecting alley while the main road beckoned straight ahead. She followed her instinct and broke right but quickly came to regret it. As soon as she rounded a sinewy curve on the cobblestone path, she saw that the tiny alley was really a dead end.

“Shite!” Dani was frustrated. She had relied heavily on her gut in the few years since joining the PSNI, and it had served her well enough. This tiny alley had seemed like the perfect place to hide, in plain sight, for the night. Nonetheless, she also understood that a good police officer should be able to abandon bad decisions swiftly and adjust on the fly. Shaking her head, she spun around and headed back to the first alley. And that was when he leapt out of the shadows and lunged at her.

In a matter of seconds, he’d tussled Dani to the ground and knocked the gun out of her hand. He was tall and strong, like they inferred; there was something feral about his movements. But Dani was strong, too. Thinking fast, she kneed him in the groin and used the few moments that he was bent over in pain to reach for the gun. He recovered faster than she expected, though, as she first felt his grasp and, a moment later, the pain of her body slamming against the side of the building from which he had just emerged.

The first-floor windows shattered upon impact, and Dani landed hard on the ground among glass and wood and chipped paint. She knew she was bleeding from a few places, most notably a long gash on her left arm, but she was not ready to concede defeat. She willed herself to stand up and face the killer. 

He came at her with his fist first this time, but, with great timing, she side-stepped it, causing him to plant his knuckles on the wall. They split open, and an animalistic howl escaped his throat. He whipped around and got to her a fraction of a second before her fingertips brushed the metal of her gun. He kicked her hard a few times and then reached, bloody knuckles and all, for her neck.

It didn’t take long before Dani realized that he was trying to make her another one of his victims, but he failed to take into account that she wasn’t like the others at all. For one, Dani was more than capable of putting up a good fight. She knew she couldn’t count on getting back her weapon so she had stowed a piece of broken glass in her sleeve earlier. Now, between gasps of breath and mustering whatever strength she still had, Dani jammed the shard of glass into the man’s stomach with a desperate thrust. 

His expression was unreadable underneath the ski mask; perhaps he hadn’t fully registered what had transpired, but Dani could see a flash of surprise in his eyes. His grip on her neck loosened, and he looked down at his injury and back at her. He yanked the glass out, looked at her again with what she thought was disdain mixed in with a little bit of respect, and stumbled away. 

Dani wanted to go after him. She almost had him. But she couldn’t get up no matter how much she told herself she needed to. She had given it her all, but he had gotten away. Again.


	3. Chapter 3

Stella’s half of the hunt for the shooter was turning out to be fruitless. When phone calls to Dani went unanswered, she decided to double back and check in with her in person. She returned to the shack and then the alley she had instructed Dani to go. The air had that brisk, early evening pop, and Stella felt a rush. This was what she lived for and was quite good at: the hunt. 

She came to the intersection with the tiny alley and—Dani would be glad to know that she and Stella made the same judgment call here—felt compelled to investigate. Almost immediately she knew something was wrong; the good cops just had those instincts. It was too eerily quiet, as if something had just gone down. Stella took in the scene in front of her and approached slowly and carefully. Sure enough, a few meters up ahead lay a motionless supine figure, barely visible in the hazy light of dusk. 

“Dani?” Stella called out to the air. It was too dark to tell if the figure really was her “right-hand-man”, and Stella was still hopeful that it wasn’t. 

“Ma’am,” a feeble but audible sound came out of the body on the ground. “I… had… him…”

Stella’s heart sank a little bit, and her pace quickened to a run without her brain ever having made the command. When she reached her, she rapidly assessed the extent of Dani’s injuries: Several nasty cuts and bruises on her forehead and cheekbones. A badly split bottom lip. And, most worrisome, a deep, gaping wound on her left arm. Hopefully no concussion or internal injuries, but at least she was conscious and alert.

“Shh. No talking,” Stella quieted her and dialed 999 to ask for an ambulance, her steady and calm voice betrayed not even one of her racing heartbeats.

Then she looked at Dani and softened. “You’re all right. Just some cuts and scrapes.” 

Dani nodded and closed her eyes. The intense fight played out in front of her; the closeness of the encounter and his escape hurt more than all her cuts and bruises combined.

“I had him, ma’am.”

“I said, no talking,” Stella’s words were still authoritative, but her tone was colored by the slightest tint of gentleness. She unraveled her silk scarf and tightened it around Dani’s left arm though the fabric wasn’t ideal for absorbing blood. She didn’t have another choice. She lifted the arm onto her own thigh and applied pressure. 

“We’ll get him. We will.”


	4. Chapter 4

“Stella,” ACC Burns was still wearing a tuxedo; he’d rushed directly to the station from one of his many social obligations with the Belfast political elite. “Tell me everything.”

“He’s hurt.”

“And?”

“It’s a gut wound,” Stella knew that anything short of catching the guy would have been unsatisfactory for Burns.

“Are you telling me that that’s all we’ve got? Why didn’t you wait for back-up before going after him?”

Stella stared at him with her intense, blue eyes. She stared at his expensive tuxedo and tie and then up at his face. “There was no time. We couldn’t risk having him get away.”

“Yet he got away anyway.”

“He got lucky. He was in the shadows and used it to his advantage.” She kept her cool. 

“So what’s the plan now?” Burns backed down; he always did when Stella fixed her gaze on him like that. No, scratch that. He always did with Stella.

“Well, we know who we are looking for, physically. Young man in his late 20s/early 30s. 185 cm or thereabouts. Long-limbed. Strong. Possibly a beard. Dark brown eyes. And that gut wound. Ferrington said it was probably deep enough to require medical attention.” 

“Get this information out to the media. Let’s get all of Belfast looking for him.”

“Already done,” Stella gave him a one-sided half-smile. She didn't need him to leave his precious dinner party to give her that order.

“Good, good.” Burns must’ve read her thoughts. His expression turned sheepish, but he couldn’t just walk away. “And how’s Ferrington?”

“She’ll be fine. Stitches on her arm. The rest are just cuts and bruises,” she paused when he didn’t respond. “I have everything under control, Jim.”

“You always do. Don’t you?”

Stella gave him another wry smile and turned, leaving Burns to watch forlornly as she sashayed down the long, cold corridor.


	5. Chapter 5

“What are you doing here?” Stella was surprised to find Dani sitting in her office, a bandage over her arm, painful-looking cuts all over her face, and a swollen bottom lip. Merely imagining the blows that Dani took to get these injuries made Stella shudder.

“I’m grand, ma’am,” Dani responded, perhaps a little too quickly. “The doctors sent me home.”

“Exactly. They sent you _home._ What are you doing _here_ in my office?”

“I was afraid you’d need me, ma’am. And perhaps we could go over the sequence of events again? We might’ve missed something. Who is out looking for him right now?”

Dani’s eyes were filled with earnestness. Maybe it was this earnestness that Stella took a liking to immediately. That and loyalty. And her sensitive and intuitive nature. And the way she looked up to her. 

Over the years, Stella had worked with all kinds of characters. She could pick out the phonies straight away—the ones who just wanted to use her as a springboard for their own careers. Dani wasn’t one of them. She was smart, yes. She was definitely ambitious, but she also had integrity in spades and a genuine drive to catch this guy, which was why Stella knew she’d need a more creative approach to coax her into getting some much needed and deserved rest.

“All right, fine, but I was going to go back to the hotel to get some change of clothes. Why don’t you come along so we can talk?”

“Of course, ma’am.”

“Good,” Stella gave her a warm smile, which caught both of them by surprise.


	6. Chapter 6

Their car cruised along the beautiful Belfast streets, but they were not doing the talking that Stella had suggested. As they passed one intersection after another, Dani stole long sideways glances at her boss, unsure if she should be the one to start the conversation. There was something ethereal about the way Stella looked and carried herself: not fragile, just… otherworldly. Dani considered the word “angelic” before quickly deciding that it was a very bad fit. 

“Aloof” was definitely a word often associated with Stella, yet Dani was not one bit intimidated by her. Instead, she was in awe of Stella's comfort in her own skin and her recognition of her power over others. She was cognizant but not abusive of this power, and that was what Dani really admired.

Growing up as the only child of a pair of mild-mannered teachers, Dani had not really been in the presence of someone like Stella before. Sure, there were a fair share of egotistical psychopaths on the force, but no one oozed control and confidence the way Stella did. Dani wasn't sure if she was attracted to her or wanted to be her. Either way, she worshipped her boss—sometimes she worried a little bit too much.

“How are you doing?” At a red light Stella turned and looked at Dani with genuine concern. “Are you hurting?”

“No, ma'am,” Dani mumbled quickly. _Did she know I was staring at her?_

“The killer's profile is out in the media. That stomach wound will force him to surface soon. It's just a matter of time.”

“I'm worried that he could have medical knowledge.”

“You think that he could take care of that wound all by himself?”

“We know from his first three murders that he is intelligent-”

“Well, either way his mobility is compromised, even just a little bit. And if he could sew himself up, he would've needed supplies. Fresh gauze. Rubbing alcohol. We have a team of people checking surveillance footage of pharmacies and stores across the city. Let's not overthink this. ”

“Yes, ma'am.” 

“You really want to catch this bloke, don't you?”

“More than you know, ma'am.” Dani smiled, but there was a shadow of sadness to the way her lips curled. 

Stella caught it immediately but didn't pry. They continued on toward the hotel without another word.


	7. Chapter 7

At the hotel, Stella went into the bedroom to grab some shirts that had been dry-cleaned for her. Although she used it as a pretense to get Dani here, she actually did need a fresh change of clothes. It never hurt to kill two birds with one stone; after all, she didn’t become DSI Gibson by being inefficient.

By the time Stella returned to the living room, Dani was fast asleep on the sofa. For the first time in a long while, Stella felt something tug at her. Was it sympathy? She didn’t quite know how to identify this emotion except that she very much wanted to give Dani a hug. The faint glow from the table lamp was casting a sallow shade on Dani’s face, and she looked so tired and small as she leaned against the sofa, her chest rising and falling with each shallow breath. 

Mesmerized, Stella simply stood and watched. Minutes went by, but she didn’t, or couldn’t, move. A bizarre sense of serenity crept into her, and she didn’t mind if this moment were to last a little while longer. So she waited and waited some more and, at last, softly sat down next to Dani and tapped her on the shoulder as gently as she knew how.

“Yes, ma’am,” Dani jolted awake and sat straight up. The hurried movement must’ve aggravated a bruise or cut somewhere because Dani’s face bunched up into a wince.

Stella berated herself for having been the cause of that. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“It’s ok, ma’am. Are you ready to go?”

“Actually,” Stella glanced at the bedroom. “I’m bloody tired of that cot in my office. I fancy sleeping on a real bed tonight.”

“Oh,” Dani was sure that was her cue to leave. “Good night, then. What time shall I pick you up in the morning?”

“No!” Stella sounded cross, but it was really because she was frustrated with herself for miscommunicating; it didn’t happen very often, obviously. She gathered herself and continued in her normal timber. “I mean, I think you should stay. We’ve both had a long day. There’s enough room for both of us here.”

“Ma’am, I don’t know…”

“ _I_ know. It’s decided. In fact, I already drew you a bath,” Stella stood up to signal that the discussion was over.

Dani acquiesced; she knew it was futile to argue, and she wasn’t particularly looking forward to going home alone anyway.

“Here, take this t-shirt. I’ll have concierge bring up a toothbrush.”

“Thank you, ma’am.”

“Oh, and watch that you don’t get water on the arm.”


	8. Chapter 8

The water was perfectly warm, just the way Dani liked it even though she was really more of a quick, military shower type of gal. She submerged her body, sans the injured left arm per Stella’s instructions, into the tub. The water around her body felt nice, but exhaustion also came to envelope her quickly. Her fatigue wasn’t simply a result of a hard day at the office, however.

It’d been almost two years since… she still couldn’t recall that night without feeling like her heart was going to splinter into a million bloody, jagged pieces. Whoever said time healed all wounds was a big, fat liar. Time had healed nothing for her; all it did was take her further away from the greatest moments of her life.

It was a slow afternoon for Dani and her then patrol partner, James. They were parked at an intersection when he motioned toward a girl crossing the street.

“Ha! Look at this eejit!”

Dani tracked his gaze to the pedestrian and there she was, checking left for oncoming traffic when she should’ve been looking to the right.

“Oh, come on. Don't be an arse. She’s obviously a foreigner, and whoa—,”

The girl was practically walking into the path of a Vespa that had just turned out of a side street. Fortunately, she realized her mistake in the nick of time, but both she and the rider seemed shaken up.

James cracked up like it was the funniest thing he’d seen. Dani, shaking her head and rolling her eyes, stepped out of the car and strode over to the site of the near-accident.

“We ok here?”

“Aye, nothing happened,” the rider responded defensively when he noticed Dani’s uniform. 

Dani ignored him and turned her attention to the girl, “Ma’am, are you all right?”

“I think so. But man, that was a close call, wasn’t it?” her accent was distinctly not Northern Irish, or any Irish for that matter. 

“Can I go?” The rider asked impatiently. 

Dani nodded. There was really no case for reckless driving here, more like reckless crossing. The rider sped away.

“You are American?” Dani already knew the answer but still formed this as a question simply because she thought it was a good way to kick-start a conversation.

“It’s pretty obvious, huh? But—,” the girl held up her index finger to signal there was perhaps something better in the works, “I’m a New Yorker.”

“Oh. I’ve never been.”

“You should! It’s an awesome city, but Vespas there also try to kill you from time to time. And definitely look the right way when crossing the street.”

They both laughed.

“Are you traveling alone?”

“Yeah. I love doing Europe alone. I come every year.”

“Wow. Where else have you been?”

Honk. James was getting impatient. Dani turned around and gave him the finger.

“Listen, um, I’ve got to go,” Dani hated that she couldn’t stay, but she was nervous and out of ideas.

“Oh, hey, before you go, do you think you can point me in the right direction? I’m sort of lost,” the girl pinched and spread the map of Belfast on her iPhone until she found her destination.

The sun was playing tricks with the screen so Dani stepped in to take a better look. Her heart skipped a few beats when the scent of the girl’s shampoo reached her. It smelled of spring and fresh cut flowers.

“You know what? Why don’t you come with us? We can drop you off. We’re going to the same area anyway.”

“Seriously? Police escort! Man, I have fucking ARRIVED,” the girl pumped her fist triumphantly a couple times before composing herself and extending her hand. “Sorry about that. I’m Alex.”

“Dani. Pleasure.”

They touched for the first of many, many times, and it was electric.


	9. Chapter 9

“Dani,” Stella’s mellow voice, accompanied by a couple of knocks on the bathroom door, jerked Dani out of her reverie.

“Yes, ma’am?”

“It’s been a while so I just wanted to make sure you’re ok.”

“I’m fine. Thanks, ma’am,” Dani said to the door, which seemed sexier because Stella was on the other side of it.

It was not easy to haul herself out of the tub with only one working arm, but Dani managed it. She threw a towel on her body and quickly found out that blow-drying her hair with only one arm was another story. She fumbled with the dryer a few times and stabbed herself awkwardly with the brush before slinking out of the bathroom with her hair in a wet mess and defeat in her eyes.

Stella looked up from her computer screen and smirked. “Hair dryer trouble?”

Dani nodded resignedly.

“Let me help,” Stella stood up and walked into the bathroom. Dani simply knew she had to follow.

Once inside, Stella closed the lid of the toilet and motioned for Dani to sit, and, again, Dani expended no brain cells wondering whether or not to obey. Without a word, Stella turned on the dryer and began running it from roots to ends with the practiced hand of a professional hairstylist. 

With Dani sitting down, the height difference put Stella’s breasts directly in her sightline. Unconsciously, Dani started grabbing at the rim of the toilet; their physical proximity both excited and terrified her, but Stella didn’t seem to notice or care. She was focused on the job at hand.

Dani stared straight ahead at the opaque contours of the smooth silk blouse that delineated Stella’s gorgeous body, each curve as flawless as one of a Greek goddess. She was so perfect it almost hurt to look at her. Luckily for Dani, she didn’t have to any longer.

“Turn to the side, please.”

Turning to her right meant Dani now had an unobstructed view of the bathtub, which she immediately realized she had neglected to wipe down after her clumsy exit. Dani made a mental note to clean it up before Stella got in there. The heat from the dryer was soothing, as were its low hum and the way the brush seemed to massage her scalp every time it went down the length of her short hair.

It was soothing and… familiar… because Alex used to dry her hair when she was too lazy to do it herself, which was every time. Well, first they would debate why it was important (or not) to blow dry; Alex would invariably win the argument, but Dani would always feel like she’d won, too, when Alex sat down behind her with the dryer and hummed adorable tunes she made up on the spot. And, just like that, this moment with Stella—so intimate and peaceful by itself, crystallized in time—suddenly became suffocating and unbearable. Dani shifted and squirmed in her seat.

“All right, all right. Don’t get antsy on me,” Stella walked around to check on her masterpiece. “And—you are free.”

Dani was relieved. She stood up and turned to look at herself in the mirror. Of course, her hair looked smashing. “Why do I feel like you’re a pro at this, too?”

Stella, her gaze also on Dani’s reflection, responded with mischief and a wink. “Probably because I happen to have a hair and makeup degree from the London College of Fashion?”

Dani sighed; Stella was a mystery that she was not going to solve tonight.

She walked out to the living room, and her behind had barely touched the sofa when Stella poked her head out from the bathroom and shouted.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

Utterly confused yet genuinely worried that she was committing a serious offense, Dani muttered in a faint voice, “Going to bed, ma’am?”

“I do like the idea, but I don’t like where you’re executing it.”

“Ma’am?”

“The bed is over _here_ ,” Stella gestured to the king-sized behemoth of a mattress in the bedroom.

Still somewhat perplexed, Dani could only conjure up another “ma’am?” in response.

Stella was half amused and half losing her patience. “You’re sleeping on this bed, with me. I won’t bite. I promise.”

Comprehension finally arrived for Dani. As always, there was no point in fighting Stella so she began to shuffle over to the right side of the bed. 

“No—that’s my side,” Stella said regally, but she had a tiny smile on her face.

Dani groaned. She walked to the other side and plopped down on the bed while Stella closed the bathroom door, looking more than a little bit self-satisfied.


	10. Chapter 10

The night had a witching hour eeriness to it, a sinister stillness lurked in the dark. Stella sat in front of her laptop, her face illuminated by the screen, making it all the more radiant. She was checking for updates from her team in the field, but none of their efforts had turned up anything substantial. _If only Annie Brawley were coherent enough to positively-ID Peter in the E-Fit…_ Stella shook her head in an attempt to wipe that thought from her head. They didn’t need that. The killer was careful, but everyone, at some point, makes a mistake. They needed to capitalize on just one of these mistakes, however tiny and hard to trace. 

The stillness was suddenly disturbed by a series of whimpers in the other room. It was indistinct at first, and Stella dismissed it as those noises that sometimes came to fill the night. But when the sound continued, she stood up, her weapon at the ready, and tiptoed to the bedroom. At the doorway she realized that the sound had come from the redhead on her bed so she dropped her arms, sidled over to Dani and knelt down.

Dani was in the fetal position, eyes closed and brows in a deep furrow. There was a thin sheet of sweat on her forehead, and she was whimpering like an injured animal. Stella grabbed a tissue by the bedside table and wiped the moisture away, carefully avoiding the bruises and cuts that peppered Dani’s face.

“Shhh,” Stella cooed, but it didn’t seem to have made a difference.

Stella didn’t know what to do. She was an expert at taking care of herself; she’d win the Olympic Gold in that by a mile, but she had no clue how to take care of someone else. She had been a solitary creature by choice, coming and going as she pleased without the burden of having to ever accommodate anyone. She relished in her freedom and the complete control she had over her life. Yet, Stella yearned very much to have the capacity to drive away whatever was haunting Dani right now.

At her wit’s end, Stella gave up and climbed into bed. She lay on her side of the massive bed and listened to Dani’s uneven breathing and whimpers. She wondered if Dani was dreaming about the attack; she shouldn’t have sent her to that alley alone. Then, without thinking, Stella turned to her side, inched over and wrapped her left arm around Dani’s waist. 

The change was gradual, but, within a few minutes, Dani seemed to have calmed down. She would still occasionally shudder or let out a moan, but at least she wasn’t sweating anymore. Stella didn’t know if her arm did the trick or it was just a happy accident, but she wasn’t going to take any chances. She left her arm draped over Dani’s body and drifted to sleep.


	11. Chapter 11

The morning light filtered into the room through one small slit between the curtains. Dani stirred but was still in that hazy state between slumber and consciousness. She felt an arm on her stomach and smiled. Alex. 

The events of the previous day cycled through Dani’s mind, and she couldn’t believe that, just twenty-four hours ago, she and Alex were still complete strangers. Well, they were strangers until the near-accident and the car ride to the house of Alex’s AirBnB host.

“So, like, are you guys shagging or however you say it here?” Alex fixed her head on the bulletproof glass that separated the front and back seats of the police car as she posed this question. This was probably the twentieth one she asked since getting in. 

James and Dani looked at each other and guffawed.

“Is that a yes?” Alex was baffled by the response her question elicited.

“First, can you PLEASE remove your oily forehead from the glass,” James gave Alex a faux-reproachful look in the rearview mirror. “Secondly, shaggin’? Us?”

“Yeah. You’re hot, she’s hot, and you’re joined at the hips for god knows how many hours a day bored out of your skulls rescuing stupid Americans from traffic accidents. How are those not grounds for sexual intercourse?” Alex ended her matter-of-fact rhetoric by rubbing her forehead rebelliously and purposely on the glass.

“Want to take this one, partner?”

“We’re most definitely not shagging,” Dani turned to look at Alex, paused for a second and then offered, “I’m gay.”

“REALLY?” Alex’s eyes bugged out. “My gaydar did not pick that up. AT ALL. Hmm.” She leaned back and fell silent. 

They reached a quaint little house on the outskirts of the city a few moments later. Alex hopped out and signaled for Dani to roll down the window so she could lean on the frame.

“Thanks so much for the ride, guys.”

“Sure. Please do look the right way next time you cross the street,” James offered his parting words.

“Ha. Will do.” Then Alex leaned in and whispered to Dani, “I’m here until Saturday.”

Dani wasn’t sure what Alex meant. “Er, ok. Have fun.”

“I meant I’m in this house here until Saturday.” Alex pointed at the house behind her and gave Dani a wink before skipping away.

Normally, Dani would not have bothered with an invitation like that, but Alex’s words lingered with her for the rest of the day like the catchy chorus of a pop song. Every time she turned a corner she thought she smelled Alex’s shampoo, sweet and inviting. When her shift was over, Dani drove home, made dinner, put on a movie, and did everything possible to simulate a peaceful night in. But the opening credits had barely even finished rolling before she was out the door and driving toward South Belfast.

And so, here she was. Her heart was bursting; it was the kind of expansion reserved for those at the very nascent stages of a relationship: hopeful, giddy, and limitless. Smiling, she turned to study the girl lying next to her.

Alex’s eyes were closed now, but Dani could still see the light that shone in them last night and the way they sparkled with effervescence, even in the dark corners of the bars they loitered in, as she talked about her travels and aspirations and New York while Dani listened. She ran her fingers softly along the lines of Alex’s body, afraid to wake her yet eager to see those eyes glisten in the full glory of the sun.


	12. Chapter 12

The morning light filtered into the room through one small slit between the curtains. Dani stirred but was still in that state between slumber and consciousness. She felt an arm on her stomach and smiled. Alex. 

She turned but quickly realized that Alex wasn’t there and would never be again. She clutched at her heart, as if that would somehow ease the pain. Her movement woke Stella, a light sleeper normally, but especially so when she was on a case. For what seemed like an eternity, they held each other’s gaze without a word, their faces mere inches apart.

Stella made the first move, naturally. She reached out and caressed Dani’s face, her long fingers treading softly across each cut and bruise with a tenderness that Dani had never seen. Then her lips latched onto Dani’s, slowly but ever so confidently. Dani’s head was still processing what had just transpired, but her body knew very well what to do. Before long, their lips were engaged in an un-choreographed dance that was both in sync and passionate.

“Ma’am?” Dani finally managed to mumble in a rare gap when their lips weren’t locked. Stella did not bother with a verbal response. She simply pushed herself against Dani, her breath rapid and her eyes filled with desire. She flipped Dani on her back and, in one quick motion, straddled on top of her. She lowered her face so they could continue kissing while her fingers found their counterparts above Dani’s head. 

“Ow,” Dani felt a sharp pang in her rib cage where she’d been kicked yesterday. Stella broke the kiss with panicked and apologetic eyes. Dani gave her a reassuring smile, and arched her face up for more of Stella’s lips. They continued and drowned themselves in a sea of kisses.

Gradually, Stella’s lips traveled down Dani’s neck, lingered there for a while and then continued their voyage downward. Meanwhile, her fingers slid underneath Dani’s t-shirt and pirouetted on her nipples. Dani let out an excited groan as she felt the familiar tingle between her thighs. She grabbed Stella’s ass and pulled her closer, the heat from Stella’s groin merging with her own.

Then, Stella broke the kiss and sat up right again. She grabbed her satin slip and pulled it over her head. With another quick motion, she pulled her panties off her body. And there she was, completely nude in front of Dani, yet somehow Dani was the one who felt vulnerable. Stella read her emotions perfectly and bent forward again, gently, and gave Dani an encouraging peck on the lips before removing Dani’s T-Shirt and panties. 

Stella said nothing, but her breath quickened as she took in Dani’s body. Dani was athletic yet had curves in all the right places which were, unfortunately, too often covered up by her police uniform. Stella grabbed Dani’s hands and put them on her own breasts.

Dani, emboldened, began caressing them. In her mind, she was still treating everything as a dream sequence though the shape of Stella’s breasts and the softness of her skin could not feel more real. Stella’s nipples were hard now, and Dani wasn’t sure who was wetter down below. Her lips searched for Stella’s as she sat up, too, her hands migrating down to Stella’s ass.

They were both panting hard now, and Dani leaned her weight forward to push Stella down on her back. She moved her fingers on top of Stella’s clit, surprised by how much wetter it was than she had imagined. She began massaging Stella’s clit, first up and down, then left and right, and, finally in circles. She was hoping she could gauge which one Stella liked more from her reaction, but Stella seemed to be enjoying everything. Her eyes were closed now, and she was getting wetter and moaning loudly.

Suddenly, Dani’s fingers stopped working, and Stella raised her head in alarm. Dani gave her a naughty smile before repositioning herself and placing her head between Stella’s thighs. Wave after wave of pleasure hit Stella as she felt the warmth and moisture of Dani’s tongue doing wonders on her clit. She thrust her pelvis upward to gyrate with Dani’s rhythm and soon found herself at the very edge of an explosive climax.

“Stop,” Stella whimpered. Dani didn’t. “STOP!” Stella managed to utter the command more forcefully this time. “You’re going to make me come!”

“Good!” Dani responded simply before going back to work; she was the one in charge now. Stella had never had anybody disobey her before, in or out of the bedroom, yet this powerlessness turned her on even more. She resigned her need for control. She would let Dani take her on whatever journey she had in mind.

Then, a mechanical sound filled the room, and Dani’s tongue stopped. Stella was confused. She didn’t want Dani to stop anymore; she wanted more. But Dani was looking at her without that flirtatious gleam in her eyes now, and Stella realized that the sound had come from her mobile. It was the station.

“Gibson,” Stella’s breathing had returned to normal in the few seconds it took her to grab her phone. She was back to icy, cool Superintendent Gibson. The person on the other line was speaking quickly, Dani could tell, but Stella’s expression remained neutral. She didn’t say much and hung up after a few okay’s.

“We have a late 20s male with a stomach wound at the city hospital,” Stella finally allowed a small smile on her face as she turned toward Dani.

“We _got_ him?!” Dani was in disbelief.

“It’s possible. We still need to compare the sketch and question him.” Stella was already rummaging through her suitcase for clothes. “Come on, they’re waiting for us at the hospital!”

Dani jumped off the bed and shot a quick glance at Stella. Stella’s perfect body, still half naked as she looked for a blouse, was regally on display. _It did happen_ , Dani thought to herself. _I didn’t dream it. And we caught him._ Dani found an extra bounce in her step as she darted into the living room.


End file.
